Residues of Triton X-100 [ C~H I~-C~H~-( O -C H~-C H~)~-10-0-1 were bound by ether bonds to inulin, dextran, amylose, and cellulose-yielding compounds containing 10-30, 5, 19 and 6 % (w/w)of Triton X-100 residue respectively. The water-soluble inulin derivative was studied in detail. This compound was fractionated on the basis of molecular weight by gel chromatography and on the basis of degree of substitution by adsorption to polystyrene resin. Even the residues of Triton X-100 which were bound to a single inulin macromolecule were able to form a micelle; in addition to these monomolecular micelles the inulin derivative was able to form polymolecular micelles as well. The inulin derivative was effective in solubilizing proteins and phospholipids from membranes of human erythrocytes and liberated reverse transcriptase activity from the membrane-enveloped virions of murine leukemia. The Triton X-100 inulin derivative abolished binding of the 3H-labelled antagonist dihydroalprenolol to solubilized preparations of P-adrenergic receptors from frog erythrocytes in a dose-related manner similar to the inactivation produced by Triton X-100, while digitonin, a detergent containing a bulkier hydrophobic group, did not cause inactivation. On the basis of its Triton X-100 content, the inulin derivative was found to be less detrimental to the growth of murine erythroleukemic cells in vitro than Triton X-100 alone when short (2-4 h) exposures were used, but this difference disappeared at longer (1 -3 day) exposures. Results thus suggest that the increase in size of the hydrophilic part of the detergent brings about moderation in those effects of the detergent which are dependent on the rate of diffusion, while the solubilizing and inactivating effects of the detergent were not changed. It is probably the size of the hydrophobic part which is important in protein-inactivating properties of the detergent.Biochemical studies of membrane components and studies of metabolism of permeabilized cells rely on the use of detergents [l]. Industrial detergents have found wide-spread use in the disruption and solubilization of biological structures. However, in applications where very mild action is desired suitable detergents are still not available. If the retention of biological activity is desired in the solubilized membrane preparations, only a few detergent molecules should be bound to a protein in order to minimize any alteration of its structure. Nevertheless even the mild electroneutral detergent Triton X-100 replaces all the natural lipids in lipoproteins and is massively bound to lipophilic proteins [2 -4,7]. Even in these unphysiological conditions some proteins continue to function [5 -71, while in other proteins, biological activities are lost [l]. In making cells permeable, similar detergents not only dissolve the plasma membrane but also penetrate and diffuse into the interior of the cells [8 -111. We reasoned that certain improvement in all of these applications may be achieved by using detergents which would have bulky ...